Student becomes grossly insubordinate in class, teacher is disciplined and school principal defends student’s behavior as desired interaction? The inmates are truly running the asylum.

Before any adult praises this former dropout for exercising his “First Amendment right,” I would recommend you spend a day in a public school and witness what teachers have to experience. The principal at Duncanville High should be ashamed for his dereliction of duty.

Good luck with the retention of future teachers at that school after this episode.

Your opinion article regarding Bliss is deplorable. In your conclusion you concede that the reason for his outburst was indeed correct, yet you spend your whole article bashing him because of the way he speaks. What message are you sending to the future of this nation, “Shut up and take your schooling”?

I find it laughable that you continuously repeat that he is an 18-year-old sophomore, providing shoddy detrimental evidence of his character. Do you know him personally? You stand on no ground whatsoever to be judging someone else.

I suggest you open your eyes to today’s society and realize this generation will not sit quietly when we see something lamentable. Yes, he could’ve been more eloquent. However, I’d love to see you in an argument with a significant other trying to calmly focus on proper grammar.

Philip Maldonado, Dallas/Uptown, @Reef_Ledger

Respect is earned

Thank you to Tod Robberson for voicing a rational opinion about the outburst of Jeff Bliss in the classroom. Lack of respect for our teachers will only get worse after this incident. It is amazing what they have to endure at their jobs. Bliss was unable or unwilling to complete an assignment, so he blamed it on the system and the teacher to get out of it.

Tell Bliss that Dallas would love to see his report card for this semester, then we’ll give him the respect (or lack thereof) he deserves. I suspect this teacher has given him second chances when other students didn’t get the same advantage.

If I were his mom, I would have taken him up to the school and made him apologize to the teacher.

Lisa Maxwell, Rockwall

Hippie hubris

An 18-year-old sophmore? He took a year off from school as he futilely searched for a job and surfed the internet? You make him sound as great as Abe Lincoln!

Let me tell you what I saw: a long-haired hippie who drops in and out at his convenience and takes up other kids’ school time to shoot his mouth off. God help us. There are way too many of these types in our world today.

Patsy Yantz, Glenn Heights

Put cellphone away

I can understand a student being unhappy with a teacher, but I would never address a teacher in such a manner. There is a place and time for discussions like that.

The bigger concern I have is the cellphone being in class. My youngest son had his cellphone taken for using it in class. If I were in charge, there would be a three-strike policy on being caught with a cellphone: the first time would be confiscation; second time would be a three-day suspension; and the third time would be expulsion for the semester. I am 58 years old, and I don’t think I would have been allowed to have one at that age.